[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Madam Speaker, as the new Congress begins its work on 
behalf of the American people, I rise to address my colleagues about an 
issue of national importance, namely Puerto Rico's quest to discard its 
status as a U.S. territory and to become a U.S. State.
  Puerto Rico has been a territory since 1898. If Puerto Rico does not 
desire to remain a territory, it can follow one of two paths. The 
territory can become a State or it can become a sovereign nation, 
either fully independent from the U.S. or with a compact of free 
association with the U.S. that either nation can terminate. If Puerto 
Rico becomes a nation, future generations of island residents would not 
be American citizens.
  My constituents have made countless contributions to the United 
States in times of peace and war, serving in every military conflict 
since World War I. They fight today in Afghanistan and other dangerous 
locations in the same units as young men and women from States such as 
Florida, Texas, and New Mexico. Many of them have made the ultimate 
sacrifice in battle. When they do, their casket is flown back to this 
country draped in the American flag.
  It takes a special kind of patriotism to fight for a nation that you 
love, but one that does not treat you equally. Although Puerto Rico is 
home to more American citizens than 21 States, my constituents cannot 
vote for President, are not represented in the Senate, and have one 
nonvoting delegate in the House. Moreover, territory status gives 
Congress license to treat Puerto Rico worse than the States, and 
Congress often uses that license.
  Everyone, other than apologists for the status quo, comprehends that 
territory status is the root cause of the economic crisis in Puerto 
Rico. As a result of the structural problems this status has created, 
residents of Puerto Rico are relocating to the States in staggering 
numbers.
  I know it breaks their hearts to leave behind the island they love, 
but most see no other option; yet through the clouds, a bright sun is 
emerging. The people of Puerto Rico have finally said, ``No more.'' 
They have come to the conclusion that they deserve a status that is 
both democratic and dignified.
  They will no longer tolerate being second-class citizens. They do not 
want special treatment; rather, they demand equal treatment, nothing 
more but nothing less.
  The will of the Puerto Rican people was expressed in a 2012 
referendum sponsored by the Puerto Rico Government. There, a majority 
of my constituents expressed their opposition to territory status.
  Statehood received more votes than territory status, and statehood 
received far more votes than independence or free association, proving 
that Puerto Rico has no desire to weaken the bonds forged with the 
United States over nearly 12 decades. In short, statehood is now the 
predominant force in Puerto Rico.
  At my urging and in response to this landmark referendum, the Obama 
administration proposed and Congress approved an appropriation of $2.5 
million to fund the first federally-sponsored vote in Puerto Rico's 
history with the stated goal of resolving the status issue.
  I have proposed that the funding be used to hold a simple, federally 
sponsored yes-or-no vote on whether Puerto Rico should be admitted as a 
State, just as Alaska and Hawaii did. This approach would yield a 
definitive result that nobody could reasonably question, and it has 
broad congressional support, since a bill I introduced last Congress 
that embodies this approach had 131 cosponsors and led to the filing of 
an identical Senate companion bill.
  All that remains is for the Governor of Puerto Rico to schedule the 
vote; yet a year has passed, and we have seen only inertia and 
indecision, all talk and no action.
  For my part, I will continue to press for action both in San Juan and 
in Washington, D.C., using any strategy and technique that will advance 
the statehood cause.
  Since none of my colleagues in this Chamber representing States would 
accept territory status for their constituents, I know they will 
understand that I will not accept it for my constituents either.

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